An uncontrolled fire or hazardous chemical spill endangers people or the environment.

Gunshots are heard.

You see a criminal you know is wanted by the police.

If you are not sure, be safe, not sorry; call 9-1-1.
Never be afraid to dial 9-1-1 because of uncertainty. Always act safely and avoid danger.

If you do not feel safe at the scene of a crime or if you are being followed, seek safety at a well-lighted place with other people, such as a retail store, a gas station or busy intersection, call 9-1-1 and ask for a police officer to meet you at your safe location. Ask other people nearby to help you. Do not put yourself at risk of being hurt.

Do NOT call 9-1-1:

For directory assistance.

For paying parking or speeding tickets.

For road conditions or a weather report.

As a prank, joke, or as a test.

For the time of day.

Are the schools closed due to weather conditions.

Here is what you can expect when you 9-1-1 in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska.
A trained 9-1-1 operator will answer your call. Do not hang up.

Between the moment you send a 9-1-1 call and the moment we answer; the phone network is routing your call and compiling important information about your location and the emergency response services in your area. This process may take several seconds.

The operator needs accurate information about your emergency to send help as quickly as possible. While it may seem like the operator is rudely interrupting you, they need the essential information quickly to send help as quickly and safely as possible. The dispatchers are trained to control the conversation.

Remain calm, speak clearly, and prepare yourself to quickly and completely answer the following four basic types of questions. When the dispatcher answers your 9-1-1 call, the dispatcher asks:

1. Where is your emergency?
WHERE do we send help? Give the complete address of the emergency, including the CITY, and where the emergency responders will find you. Be specific and provide as much detail as you can, especially if you do not know the street address of your emergency.

Provide the name of the road you are on and direction of travel; the nearest intersection, exit, or mile marker; and your location relative to these landmarks.

Tell us the floor of the building and the room or apartment number you are in; know how many houses your home is from the corner, know if your street runs east-west or north-south, know the direction your house faces.

2. What is your phone number?
The 9-1-1 operator needs your working phone number. They will call you back if the call disconnects or you hang up before the essential information is obtained. Police will be sent to your address if you do not answer the call back.

3. What is your name?
WHO is calling and WHO needs help?

4. What happened?
Your information helps emergency personnel respond appropriately to the emergency or situation. Remain calm as the 9-1-1 operator asks about the situation, try not to yell or shout. This will make your phone call more difficult to understand. Be clear, specific, and get to the point with your comments.

Help is on the way!
Even while you remain on the phone providing information about your emergency, help is on the way. It may seem to you like the 9-1-1 operator is not sending help fast enough, asking too many questions, or is too calm to understand the urgency of the situation. However, our 9-1-1 operators are trained and experienced in the most efficient process to get the essential information for sending the right help to the right location as quickly as possible. While the 9-1-1 operator gets the critical information from you, other dispatchers are informing the emergency response team.

If you do not have an emergency and call 9-1-1, your call may be put on "hold," while the operator deals with priority callers or emergencies. DO NOT HANG UP. The operator will return to your call as quickly as they can.

If you need the police, the 9-1-1 operator will ask how long ago the incident happened, or during what time frame the incident could have happened. The operator may ask for descriptions and names of persons involved in the incident, the styles of vehicles involved, and which way those people and/or vehicles involved may have left the site of the incident, among other details. The 9-1-1 operator immediately gives your information to the responding emergency personnel.

If you need emergency medical assistance the dispatcher will ask you for the address and phone number of the emergency. They may ask detailed questions about the situation and may instruct you how to provide care before the ambulance arrives.

If you need fire fighters for your emergency the dispatcher will ask you for the address and phone number of the emergency. The dispatcher may ask you for additional information needed by the fire fighters responding to your emergency.

Once the 9-1-1 operator has the critical information needed to send the right help to the location of your emergency, they will direct you to call 9-1-1 again if anything changes before help arrives. Do not hang up until the operator indicates it is OK to hang up.